Computers are playing an ever-increasing role in everyday life. Many people have home computers, and many businesses have elaborate, complex computer networks. In addition, with the expanding role of the Internet, many companies have dedicated servers to allow access by their employees to the world wide web, as well as to maintain a presence on the world wide web.
It is desirable to prevent unauthorized access to such network equipment for various reasons. For one, the equipment can be quite expensive, and therefore there exists the risk that unattended equipment will be stolen or otherwise tampered with. In addition, some of the equipment is proprietary, such that any form of access to the equipment by unauthorized individuals may reveal technology secrets which may directly affect competition in the marketplace.
For those and other reasons, the network equipment of a particular company is typically stored in one or more secure rooms at the company's facilities. However, this is often not an efficient use of the space, as the equipment may not occupy an entire room. In addition, the room is often not centrally located, and therefore accessibility to the equipment is not optimal. Furthermore, since the equipment is typically massive and generates a large amount of heat, proper ventilation must exist in the room.
Alternatively, the network equipment may be stored at off-site locations, known as “server farms”, owned and operated by independent vendors. Unfortunately, at these server sites, it is likely that many servers from different companies will occupy a common room, exposing each server to potential tampering or otherwise unauthorized and uncontrolled access.
Accordingly, there is a need for a secure locker for housing computer equipment (e.g., a server) which is easily adaptable to efficiently house a variety of equipment of differing types and sizes in a protective and secure manner.